Category Archives: Testing
Delivery of HIV test results, post-test discussion and referral in health care settings: A review of guidance for European countries
OBJECTIVES: HIV testing and counselling (HTC) guidelines support and promote best practice among service providers. Few European countries have national HTC guidelines and most rely on guidance from regional and...
Expanding access to HIV viral load testing: A systematic review of RNA stability in EDTA tubes and PPT beyond current time and temperature thresholds
BACKGROUND: HIV viral load (VL) testing is the gold standard for antiretroviral treatment monitoring, but many barriers exist to VL testing in resource-limited settings, including storage and transport limitations for...
Diagnosing acute and prevalent HIV-1 infection in young African adults seeking care for fever: A systematic review and audit of current practice
Fever is a common complaint in HIV-1 infected adults and may be a presenting sign of acute HIV-1 infection (AHI). We investigated the extent to which HIV-1 infection was considered...
Systematic review and meta-analysis of community and facility-based HIV testing to address linkage to care gaps in sub-Saharan Africa
HIV testing and counselling is the first crucial step for linkage to HIV treatment and prevention. However, despite high HIV burden in sub-Saharan Africa, testing coverage is low, particularly among...
The role of nurses in HIV screening in health care facilities: A systematic review
OBJECTIVE: To examine nurse-driven HIV screening in various health care settings in terms of its impact on test offering, acceptance and delivery rates, nursing responsibilities, staff perceptions and long-term implementation....
The effectiveness of home-based HIV counseling and testing on reducing stigma and risky sexual behavior among adults and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analyses
BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus counselling and testing is a critical and essential gateway to Human immunodeficiency virus prevention, treatment, care and support services. Though some primary studies indicate that home-based...
HIV pre-test information, discussion or counselling? A review of guidance relevant to the WHO European Region
OBJECTIVES: In the context of a shift from exceptionalism to normalisation, this study examines recommendations/evidence in current pan-European/global guidelines regarding pre-test HIV testing and counselling practices in health care settings....
Which psychological factors are related to HIV testing? A quantitative systematic review of global studies
Deciding to test for HIV is necessary for receiving HIV treatment and care among those who are HIV-positive. This article presents a systematic review of quantitative studies on relationships between...
Linking women who test HIV-positive in pregnancy-related services to long-term HIV care and treatment services: A systematic review
Objectives To quantify attrition between women testing HIV-positive in pregnancy-related services and accessing long-term HIV care and treatment services in low- or middle-income countries and to explore the reasons underlying...
Social marketing interventions to increase HIV/STI testing uptake among men who have sex with men and male-to-female transgender women
BACKGROUND: Social marketing interventions have been shown to both promote and change many health-related behaviours and issues. As the HIV epidemic continues to disproportionately affect MSM and transgender women around...
Human immunodeficiency virus and nodular regenerative hyperplasia of liver: A systematic review
AIM: To investigate the diagnosis, pathogenesis, natural history, and management of nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). METHODS: We performed a systematic review of the...
